In our Pining For Pinterest posts, we prepare our readers for the upcoming season with interior shots alongside decor and event details in a fresh, new color story and overall look. Just before Summer each year, Pantone comes up with their Color of the Year. How fitting that this time there were two. Please enjoy as we take you through our Summer inspiration in our own distinct styles utilizing the Pantone colors of the year.

Tami’s Pins: What’s “pin”spiring me this season? Retro styling in a rose quartz color story! This Bride is heading to Palm Springs for her Bachelorette weekend in style. All her girls are bringing their A-game and have decorated their vacation home to fit the level of sophistication with some playful twists. It’s girly and oh so fun!

I love this dusty pink color. Great choice Pantone!

Palm Springs is full of awesome architectural details like this super feminine pink door making it the perfect place to stay.

Lauren’s Pins: What’s “pin”spiring me this season? Serenity! “Something blue” does not have to be reserved only for a wedding. This couple is celebrating their first ten years in style with an all blue color story. A close family event is planned out to perfection with all of the most gorgeous details.

The softest shade of blue that’s not quite periwinkle and not baby blue either is Pantone’s other Color of the Year.

No wonder they decided on this color for their event, they obviously love what it’s done for their kitchen.

Their ranch style home and its gorgeous backyard is the perfect setting for this intimate gathering.

Small touches of blue and these stunning gold accents complete this look.

Mixing blue hydrangea with other soft colors will help tie the whole look together.

A small reminder of their wedding day will bring guests back in time.

When your shoes are this beautiful the rest of your outfit can be super simple.

Cake pops in this cool color are a fun way to end the night …

… and the icing on the cake … This gorgeous gift from her husband!

As always, this Summer is super packed full of events, and we are so excited to see the events “Side” of our business flourishing. We look forward to all that is coming up this season and hopefully using some of this inspiration in our own planning. We would love to work with you in creating the right look this Summer by tying in the inspiration of your event with the essence of your home decor. Contact us at info@sbsdesignla.com for more information.

To see more of our individual styles through our inspiration, follow us on Pinterest at:

It’s Friday! Time for one of our favorite things … food! I have found that with all of the wedding preparation we have had going on lately, we have been eating out a lot! This week we decided that we really need to crack down on our eating (and spending) habits. So, I visited my favorite market … Trader Joes, and planned out the perfect meal. This one was especially awesome because Phil and I were able to cook together. What a team … me chopping veggies and him on the grill! To make your own Mediterranean style burgers and all the fixings just follow these step by step directions:

1. To make your burgers, mix together 1 package of ground beef, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Create mini patties by flattening small balls of the meat mixture.

2. Grill on each side for about 3 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and there is a nice grill line.

3. An Israeli salad will compliment your meal nicely. I like to make mine with equal parts tomato and cucumber finely chopped, a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and a ripe avocado.

This meal truly was delicious. In fact, I can’t wait to make it again! What will you be grilling up this Memorial Day? Will you be keeping your menu traditional American or throwing in a Mediterranean (or other) twist? Have a great LONG weekend from Side by Side Design!

Over the past several months, my fiancee Phil and I have been busy planning our wedding. I am not going to lie … some aspects of wedding planning have been easier than others. Finding the right venue, photographer, band or DJ, and dress can be quite a chore, but now that we have all of these larger items checked off of our list, we have had opportunities to take part in some of the perks that we have been looking forward to. Some of these perks include attending a Crate and Barrel registry event with the sole purpose of selecting items to fill our home and scheduling out our destination Bachelor / Bachelorette parties. Last night we even had the opportunity to indulge in a food tasting at our wedding venue (The Sheraton Universal).

Taking part in this pre-wedding activity is not only fun but is also super important. Chances are, Phil and I will not be eating much on the night of our actual wedding. This gives us the opportunity to not only select the dishes that will be served but also give them a try. Here’s what the fabulous Sheraton chefs treated us to last night:

Creme of Roma Tomato Basil Served En Croute – For those of you who do not have a culinary background … this is a type of soup that was served in a phyllo dough crust.

Buffalo Mozzarella – Sliced Roma tomatoes, virgin olive oil, and basil herbed greens. We are now trying to decide between this salad and another delicious option (The Heart of Bibb).

Portobello Mushroom Ravioli – For our vegetarian guests, we were presented with this option along with a stuffed portabella and eggplant lasagna. What will we choose!?

Last but not least … Filet Mignon with a Port Wine Reduction – Phil’s favorite!

What was served at your wedding? Although we plan to spend almost the entire night on the dance floor, food is VERY important to us and we want to treat our guests to a nice meal. After attending this food tasting, we have full trust in our venue that they will not disappoint!

A friend of mine has been asking me to help her with her dining room for a little while now, but was waiting for me to get back to work. Since I can’t turn down a project, and wouldn’t want to turn one down that was this fun anyway, of course I finally said yes! She had started a Pinterest board with some images for this particular room, and there was a clear message that she wanted to portray. She wanted to incorporate some color while not making the space too loud, and loved pieces with a coastal vibe. Her only other request was to make sure that the space was kid friendly for her two little ones and easy to keep clean.

We decided to go with a mostly neutral palette; whites and natural wood with some touches of navy, a soft Tiffany blue, silver, and a pop of orange for something fun. I pulled photos (some from my friend’s Pinterest board and some on my own) to show the coastal vibe and the overall look we are hoping to achieve.

The main photo on my inspiration board is one we both love. It shows a calm yet comfortable setting perfect for this family of four. We specifically love the table and light fixture in this photo and are hoping to find ones that mimic their charm.

As this space is sandwiched between the main living room and kitchen, I want to do something that sets it apart but doesn’t take away from the openness of the house. I am thinking a white grasscloth or some other type of textural wall finish will help to do just that.

My friend saw this table and fell in love with it. The hammered metal top should fit the bill for being easy to keep clean with kids.

We also love these chairs and are deeply considering the Serena and Lily option in navy and white.

This space has a built in buffet on one wall and I love the idea of painting it this Tiffany blue color and giving it some new hardware as well.

It would be fun to also incorporate that color in one more unexpected way, and I love how these bar stools are made more interesting through their painted rim.

Another fun detail I am hoping to include is a patterned Roman shade for the kitchen window. I like the idea of a navy and white pattern to tie in the chairs.

We are starting to purchase pieces for this project and are so excited to see how it all turns out. We thought it would be fun once again to share our inspiration with you first so you can see our process and how it evolves from concept to finished product. As this is a new type of post, please tell us what you think … Would you like to see more in process details? The steps it takes to get to a finished look? Are you in need of a redesign yourself? Maybe some of these tips can help you get started, and if you need more help, we are always just a quick email away. info@sbsdesignla.com

One of my clients (in fact, the one I have had the longest) is in the process of finding a new home. Although the home that they are in now has a very traditionally Tuscan and over-the-top vibe, they plan to keep it as is and start new. They have explained to me on a few occasions that each home they have had in their past has been designed differently and reflects a unique style, and the client has even shared with me the style she hopes she can incorporate into her next space, which she calls “modern with antiques”. I am very intrigued by the thought of this design style but wanted to fully understand what this truly meant to this particular client. I pride myself in holding onto the best of the best photos that Pinterest has to offer and thought that would be the perfect place to start. I put together five concepts that fit the “modern with antiques description”, my client’s over-the top taste, and with just enough “oomph” to really wow them. I am saving these for the day that they are ready to take this next step, but was so excited about the different options that I came up with that I had to share them with someone. Please tell me which one you would choose:

#1 Bright and Bold – Bold color choices used in unexpected ways mixed with wild animal prints and lots of gold details makes this option the one to beat.

#2 Wild and Eclectic – Deep aubergine, wild patterns, and a taste of Hollywood Regency. This option is unexpected which makes it so much fun!

#4 Light and Mellow – Monochromatic colors, subtle elegance, with just enough glamour to push this choice over the top.

#5 Unique and Artistic – One of a kind pieces of furniture, fabulous artwork, and an unexpected color scheme sets this option apart.

Vote below or on our social media … Which of these five looks do you like best? Leave a comment on our blog or on one of our social media accounts (links at the top of the screen). We will be posting the results for our Reader Favorite Award this Friday as well as the client’s decision coming soon.